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Food Security: AfDB Group President assures Nigeria of Strong Support 

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Food Security: AfDB Group President assures Nigeria of Strong Support 

Food Security: AfDB Group President assures Nigeria of Strong Support 

The President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, received a high-level Nigerian delegation led by the Nigeria Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar on Monday 18th October 2021.

The meeting follows on the heels of an address by Dr. Adesina last week at a mid-term ministerial retreat presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Dr. Adesina and the Nigerian minister discussed means of tackling growing concerns about the country’s food security.

Adesina said the Bank’s strategic support for Nigeria’s food production would be hinged on five factors: support, scale, systemic, speed, and sustainability.

He added, “I want to assure President Buhari that the African Development Bank will provide his government with very strong support to tackle the country’s food security challenges.”

“Inflation in Nigeria is high, at 16% or more. Of course, the biggest share of the consumer price index is the price of food, at almost 65%. So, if we can drive down the price of food, of course, we can drive down inflation.“

Adesina urged the Nigerian minister to concentrate on building the correct team and tactics to optimize the country’s farming seasons. He said that dramatically increased food output will result in lower food prices, which will in turn lower inflation rates.

Abubakar said his consultative mission to Abidjan was at the instruction of President Buhari.

“Our mission is to examine ways Nigeria could enhance food production, lower food prices, and create wealth,” the minister said.

Abubakar welcomed the Bank’s proposed strategy and described it as a landmark one that would spur Nigeria’s food supply production. “It will reverse the ugly trend of a sharp increase in prices of food in the country. I am pleased with the Bank’s strategy to facilitate the production of 9 million metric tons of food in Nigeria and to support us in raising self-sufficiency. The Bank’s Special Agro-Processing Zones initiative is a laudable one and Nigeria is grateful.”

Citing successes in Sudan, Adesina explained how the African Development Bank had supported the country with 65,000 metric tonnes of heat-tolerant wheat varieties, cultivated on 317,000 hectares.

Also Read: Over 50 bandits killed in Kaduna

“It took two seasons to do this,” he said. “Change will not happen in years. You will see changes in seasons. Sudan now produces 1.1 million metric tons of wheat. The same thing happened in Ethiopia in just two seasons with the production of 184, 000 hectares of wheat,“ he added.

In response to Bank successes in Sudan and Ethiopia, Abubakar said: “This gives me an additional measure of confidence. If you can do it in Sudan, you can equally do it in Nigeria. Not just in wheat, but also rice, maize, and soybeans.”

The African Development Bank will provide Nigeria with support through input delivery, including highly improved seeds and fertilizers to farmers, and an integrated input delivery platform.

Extensively discussed at the meeting was the Bank’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone initiative as an effective medium-term plan for revolutionizing Nigeria’s agriculture value chain.

Adesina said: “The task, responsibility, and challenge of feeding Nigeria rests on your shoulders. You will receive maximum support from me, and the African Development Bank for the responsibility that President Buhari has given you. You will not be alone.”

He added: “The Bank stands ready to fully support and help Nigeria in the next farming seasons. So, we must make sure things turn around. The president must succeed, and Nigeria must succeed. Agriculture must succeed.”

Abubakar thanked the African Development Bank for its support and said the meeting gave him reassurances of what Nigeria can achieve with the Bank’s support in the farming seasons ahead.

The minister also called for the Bank’s support to recapitalize the country’s Bank of Agriculture.

Both parties set up a task force team to develop a plan for accelerated implementation within the next 60 days.

Also at the meeting were a member of Nigeria’s National Assembly, Hon. Munir Baba Dan Agundi, Chair of the House Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions;  the African Development Bank’s executive director for Nigeria,  Sao Tome and Principe, Dr. Oyebode Oyetunde; Vice President of Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Beth Dunford; Senior Special Advisor to the President of the Bank on Industrialization, Professor Oyebanji Oyelaran; Director-General of the Bank’s Nigeria Country Office in Abuja, Lamin Barrow; the Bank’s Director of Agriculture and Agro-Industries, Martin Fregene; the Director for Agricultural Finance and Rural Development, Atsuko Toda; and senior officials from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

Food Security: AfDB Group President assures Nigeria of Strong Support 

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FG Plans Nationwide Audit Of Skills Centres To Transform Workforce

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FG Plans Nationwide Audit Of Skills Centres To Transform Workforce

** As VP Shettima demands urgent action to bridge nation’s skills gap

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for immediate and united action to close Nigeria’s widening skills gap, describing it as a national priority critical to economic transformation.

This is just as the federal government has hinted at a proposal for the review of existing skills training centres across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to align their work and functions with national development goals.

The Vice President, who spoke on Thursday during the 6th meeting of the National Council on Skills (NCS) at the Presidential Villa, noted that the council’s mandate is to develop a strategic workforce capable of meeting Nigeria’s evolving economic demands.

“What binds us together supersedes whatever divides us. We have to make this country work. We need to fill in the skills gap,” he said.

VP Shettima pointed out that the council has a mission to strategically position Nigeria’s workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.

“This council was established with a clear mandate to drive the strategic development of the skilled workforce that can contribute meaningfully to national growth and prosperity,” he added.

The Vice President described the session as an open forum where positions were aired and important decisions were taken, emphasising that stakeholder engagement, consensus-building, and decisive leadership are essential to fixing Nigeria’s skills and employment crisis.

A major highlight of the meeting was the proposal for a National Skills Infrastructure Audit to create a centralised database of all training facilities, verify their functionality, and identify gaps or overlaps in infrastructure.

“The government’s policy trajectory is to strengthen human capital development for national growth and industry through skills development. However, unless the skills infrastructure across MDAs is optimised, this vision will remain unattainable,” the council noted.

The audit will also involve physical verification of centres and a detailed cataloguing of operational training facilities, ensuring alignment with national occupational standards and labour market needs.

Earlier, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa made a presentation on the National Artisan Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP), an initiative aimed at training 10,000 artisans annually in high-demand construction trades.

The programme is designed to formalise Nigeria’s informal artisan sector by providing certification and onboarding qualified artisans onto a Digital Artisan Marketplace.

“The overall goal of NASAP is to establish a reliable and competent artisan workforce to drive the Ministry’s housing and infrastructure agenda while empowering Nigeria’s youth with employable skills,” the Minister said.

He noted that NASAP seeks to tackle youth unemployment while simultaneously addressing the skilled labour shortage in the construction sector, just as he said it is projected to have a significant impact on both job creation and long-term infrastructure development.

FG Plans Nationwide Audit Of Skills Centres To Transform Workforce

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Army intercepts railway vandals in Yobe, arrests 8 suspects including 5 NSCDC personnel

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Army intercepts railway vandals in Yobe, arrests 8 suspects including 5 NSCDC personnel

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Army troops of Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai in Yobe have intercepted a truck loaded with suspected vandalised iron railway sleepers and arrested eight suspects, including five personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), during a targeted operation in Katarko area of Gujba Local Government Area.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the operation, which took place on July 8 at about 4:00 p.m., followed credible intelligence about the movement of vandalised railway materials.

The truck, was intercepted while en route to Damaturu. A Hilux vehicle marked NSCDC CD 234 A, believed to be providing escort for the illegal consignment, was also impounded.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the railway materials were vandalised from a section of the tracks around Kukuwa, also in Gujba LGA.

Further findings revealed that the arrested NSCDC officers were allegedly invited by the vandals to provide safe passage in exchange for monetary compensation.

A cash sum of ₦128,500, believed to be proceeds of the illegal escort, was recovered from one of the NSCDC officers. The money was reportedly concealed in his inner clothing.

The suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Damaturu for further investigation. An anti-bomb squad has also been directed to sweep the recovered materials to ensure public safety.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing and all those found culpable will be prosecuted accordingly.

Army intercepts railway vandals in Yobe, arrests 8 suspects including 5 NSCDC personnel

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NHRC: Over 320,000 Human Rights Violations Complaints Received in June

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NHRC: Over 320,000 Human Rights Violations Complaints Received in June

By: Michael Mike

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has decried the rising incident of human rights violation in the country, stating that last alone over 320,000 cases were reported across the country.

Speaking during the presentation of June 2025 Human Rights Situation Dashboard in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu said: “In the month of June, we received 327,154 complaints reflecting another sharp increase in human rights violations, each one a desperate plea for justice and a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done.”

He lamented that: “Every month, when we gather to present this human rights dashboard, we are confronted with a sobering reality of the lived realities of those affected by violence, injustice, discrimination, and systemic neglect. These numbers compel us to reflect deeply on our collective responsibility and ask ourselves the difficult question: Are we doing enough? The events of June 2025 demand not just reflection, but an honest and urgent response.”

He said: “Last month, Nigeria witnessed a harrowing surge in violent attacks, with devastating consequences for affected communities and our national conscience. Among the most tragic incidents were the brutal assaults on the Yelewata and Dauda communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where over 200 innocent lives were lost. These were not mere figures on a report; they were fathers, mothers, children, and breadwinners; families torn apart, livelihoods destroyed, and futures extinguished in moments of senseless brutality.

“Equally alarming is the rising trend of attacks against law enforcement and local security forces. In Kaduna and Niger States, more than 17 soldiers were killed in coordinated attacks, further destabilizing already fragile regions. Equally distressing was the massacre of over 40 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Ruggar Chida, brave individuals who stood on the frontlines to protect their communities, only to pay the ultimate price.

“Their deaths leave a void in local security structures, rendering civilians even more exposed to further violence.”

Ojukwu noted that: “The wave of insecurity plaguing our highways has also intensified. In June alone, more than 50 travellers were abducted along major transit routes in Kogi and Benue States. These are not isolated criminal acts; they represent a direct assault on the fundamental rights to freedom of movement, economic participation, and personal dignity. These abductions inflicts lasting trauma on victims and their families while further eroding public trust in the safety of our roads. This pattern of violence marked by impunity, fear, and systemic failure highlights a grave deficit in protection and accountability.”

He added that: “In the month of June, we received 327,154 complaints reflecting another sharp increase in human rights violations, each one a desperate plea for justice and a stark reminder of how much work remains to be done.

“To the government, we reiterate the need for decisive and coordinated security interventions. To civil society and the media, we urge sustained advocacy and amplification of these issues. To our development partners, we call for strengthened collaboration in addressing the root causes of these issues. This dashboard must not merely serve as a record of tragedies; it must be a catalyst for meaningful and sustainable change.

“Let us never forget; every complaint documented, every statistic recorded in these dashboards represents a Nigerian citizen, a fellow human being seeking justice, safety, and the fulfilment of their basic rights.

“The National Human Rights Commission remains unwavering in its mandate to promote, protect, and enforce human rights across Nigeria. We will forge ahead with purposeful and sustained action.”

NHRC: Over 320,000 Human Rights Violations Complaints Received in June

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